Ecclesiastic Shatter
by Xelias
Summary: Jugend... Jessie is confronted by a determined Stein and doesn't see himself with anything to lose.... (Yaoi, Unfinished snippet)


Xel's Notes: Gawd, I'm a freak. ^.^; But dammit, I think Stone's sexy, okay? *steps aside as Billy attempts to claw her eyes out* Lessee, what else should I say...? Well, this is the rough, unfinished version of this fic... If you like it, let me know and maybe I'll finish it up for ya! ^_^ It started as a semi-deep (as deep as I can be, anyway... ^^;;;) look into Stone's mind (with, of course, a yaoi twist XD), but it kinda degenerated into a bit of a PWP. *sweatdrop* That being said, it WILL be rated NC-17 instead of PG-13 when I finish... ^.^ Its cutoff point is kinda abrupt, gomen... ;_; Either way, gimme feedback, and maybe I'll finish it! ^-^v  
  
  
Ecclesiastic Shatter  
  
  
  
He could feel it in the core of his being. His damnably perfect peer was approaching yet another success; one that was far too priceless to lose. He knew it was coming. It rode every wave of his thoughts and it haunted him in his dreams.  
And it was this feeling of foreboding that drove Isaac Stein to an act that he most likely would have regretted later in his life, had he not blocked it out of his memory anon. He would remember, certainly, as he meticulously planned later on, and he would remember as he sat in the cockpit of the mighty, yet rapidly deteriorating Alkanshel, but he would feel nothing. It was, people would philosophize, simply his way.  
The man was the same age as he, and, thus far, of the same status. Stein determined that the latter would be undermined with his own imminent seizure of the coveted rank of commander; of the possible branches to lead, that of the Elements was, by far, the most sought-after. This was, however, the least of his present concerns; his proclaimed rival (proclaimed by, of course, none other than Stein himself) possessed an odd sort of charisma that took its toll on most everyone who came within the reach of its poisonous grasp. Most notably of whom were women. Stein snorted a bit. He supposed it was the macho air about him that influenced the buried hyper-submissive desires in women, which caused them to fall prostrate at his feet.  
Ah, but she was nothing like that. She had a head on her shoulders in place of the usual hollow dome in which an audible breeze could be heard that most of the ladies in their company possessed. How they made it into Jugend, he'd never know. More often than not, he caught himself gazing after her as she led her troops out on their latest mission, and he felt the usual pang of hunger; to be by her side, to lead by her side, to kill by her side. This hunger, he decided, was quickly giving way to starvation.  
It was all these factors compounded that finally caused something within Stein to give ominously soon after that moment.  
"....Jesiah."  
Jesiah Blanche looked up from the monitor of his computer and twisted halfway to face Stein arching a brow. "Yes?"  
Stein merely scrutinized him for a second. "...What do you make of the Lieutenant...?"  
His pale-haired rival then turned all the way around, smiling softly, an unconscious reaction that his mind had become used to upon mention of the lady of his admiration. "Racquel? She's awfully pretty... what do you think of her?"  
He was met with no reaction but a wry smirk. "I do hope you see more in her than paltry appearance, Jesiah," His voice dropped to a low mutter, "...attractive as it might be..."   
He coughed slightly and continued. "It would be a shame if one who appreciated her... finer qualities... were to steal her away..." Jessie's eye was still too untrained to catch the glint of spite in Stein's gaze.  
Jessie chuckled a bit. "Well, she's got a really great personality too... I guess I'm just too wowed by her to really make any smart remarks." He grimaced. "Thank goodness she finds my blubbering cute."  
The Ethos operative cocked a brow, eye twitching just slightly. "Is that so...?"   
Jesiah continued, nodding. "Yeah, she thinks it's charming that I'm speechless because of her..."   
Isaac glowered. He had the nerve to assume he knew what Racquel wanted?  
"...Someday I'll be able to string three words together in her presence. When I can, I know what they'll be, too."   
Fighting back a snide reply, Stein concentrated on the more important response. "...And if someone beats you to it...?"  
"I don't think it'll happen. She doesn't seem interested in anyone else." His too-perfect adversary shook his head with a smile.  
Twitch. "...Perhaps she is skilled at hiding her true emotions."  
At that point, his foe had abandoned his usual aura of smooth in favor of seeming rather like a love struck puppy. Why would she do that? She's got no reason."  
TWITCH. What on earth did anyone see in him?! In his studies in Jugend's religious branch, he had learned of the existence of certain black magic that people unknowingly possessed. And there was, after all, something eerily special- something bewitching, even- about Jesiah. All the signs pointed to it.  
He turned away, an acrimonious smirk crossing his features. Such people were deemed wicked, and they had to be cleansed of their sin before they tainted any others. His eyes widened with sudden realization. If his suspicious were truthful, Racquel was in danger of being contaminated. This was something he simply could not stand for.  
"...Purify..."  
Jessie blinked. "Hnn?"  
Stein fixed him with a rather intense gaze, tone dropping to one of a low, gritty nature. "You must be purified, Jesiah."  
His tainted foe draped an arm around his shoulders, teasingly, mannerisms nothing but friendly. It wasn't like Stein hadn't done the whole creepy Ethos thing before. He laughed a bit. "C'mon, Stein... don't you go pulling that sanctimonious crap on me again..."  
A moment later, he found himself being determinedly pushed against the wall of his dorm. "Uh, Stein?"  
"I must cleanse you of your curse, Jesiah."  
"And how d'you intend to do that?" Jessie smirked.  
"In the same manner in which you have stricken others."   
It was a simple sentence, void of any intense emotion, a perfect contrast to the aggressiveness in the fusing of his lips to Jessie's.   
With a muffled gasp of surprise, he flailed as best he could to break free of the kiss. Unfortunately, the wall pressed against his back provided little room to take a step behind him, and Stein was surprisingly strong. Tongue ghosting briefly against his lips, the ecclesiastic-in-training finally pulled back.  
"Stein... what the fuck was that?!"  
His response took the form of a soft hiss. "You have already afflicted many, Jesiah... I must put a stop to it, even if it means that I must suffer the same fate."  
Jessie chuckled softly. It was a damn good thing he had Sigurd's presence to build his tolerance, and it had been quite a while... Ah, but he wasn't really a casual sex kinda guy... He fought back a loud snicker. That'd be the day. "Well, ain't you a saint?"  
He received a sharp nip to his throat in response. "Sorry... would you prefer martyr?"  
The low mutter against his chest was barely audible. "...I do what I must."  
Jessie was grinning darkly. "An' that's me, right?"  
"...Indeed."  
  
  
  



End file.
